The present disclosure relates generally to a method and apparatus for communication within control systems, and particularly to a method and apparatus for communication within drive-by-wire systems for use in automobiles.
The term drive-by-wire originally referred to methods of automatic steering of a vehicle using circuits embedded in a road surface. Today, the term refers to the removal of mechanical linkages between driver interfaces of a vehicle and the vehicle subsystems that actually perform the work, and the introduction of sensors, a central controller, peripheral control systems, and signal communication, to perform the desired vehicle maneuver. Instead of operating the steering, brakes and throttle directly, via drive gears, linkages, or hydraulic pistons for example, a drive-by-wire system would control the response of the vehicle via sensors, a central or distributed controller, and commands communicated to peripheral control systems, such as stepper motors for example, over a communication bus.
By integrating the steering, braking, and propulsion control subsystems of a vehicle into a drive-by-wire system, synergistic vehicle performance is anticipated, resulting in improved vehicle handling, especially in bad road conditions, better fuel economy, reduced emissions, and improved reaction times in emergency situations. With drive-by-wire systems, it is also contemplated that reduced cost and complexity of manufacture may be achievable.
While present control-by-wire systems used in automobiles may be suitable for their intended purposes, there is a need in the art for signal communication schemes between a source node and a destination node, or between a source node and multiple destination nodes, via an associated communication controller, that would be more advantageous for the scheduling of operating system tasks in a high volume automotive production cycle environment.